There has been a trend in the airline industry of increased delays to destinations. Accordingly, travelers often experience long periods of time in the airport. Furthermore, flights to certain destinations (e.g., a non-stop flight to another country such as China) can be very long. Long delays and long trips also are common in other transportation industries such as ground and rail. During long delays or long trips, a traveler may desire to rest including sleep, but oftentimes the traveler cannot find private accommodations. Accordingly, the traveler must attempt to rest in public where the traveler is surrounded by uncomfortable distractions such as lights, noise, and other people.
While resting in public areas, travelers may desire some minimum level of privacy, peacefulness, and protection. For example, some travelers may desire to avoid being viewed while sleeping. In a close environment such as an airplane, bus, or train, a traveler may find it uncomfortable to sleep publicly next to a stranger. A traveler may also want to filter light and/or sound for a more peaceful rest. Still further, some travelers may feel better protected (e.g., from germs) if their orifices, such as their mouths, are shielded while sleeping.
Travelers typically resort to placing a coat (or blanket if available) over their head to cover their face for privacy, peacefulness, and/or protection. However, these items are usually heavy and may easily fall off when the traveler moves even slightly. These items also are not designed to be placed over the head and face. Therefore, when these items are placed over the head, breathing can be difficult due to the lack of airflow and the temperature underneath the items can rise to an uncomfortable level.
Products designed for sleeping, such as eye covers to suppress light to the eyes, are limited because they only cover the eyes and do not provide concealment or protection to other parts of the face or body. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,385 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,836 disclose an eye cover that only covers the eyes.
Products that cover the face typically are designed for active use, for example, for use while skiing or transporting harmful materials. Accordingly, these active-wear face covers do not cover the eyes but instead provide means for the users to see while engaging in an activity. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,119,439; 2,669,717 4,259,748; 5,617,584 are all illustrative of such active-wear face covers.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a sleeping apparatus that can provide privacy, peacefulness, and protection in a public environment.